Last week that unusual event, a keynote speech by a senior Westminster-based Liberal Democrat at an ELDR* event, as Nick Clegg made one of the speeches that opened this year’s Congress.

Europe needs liberals now more than ever. The shared challenges we face are ones that can only be tackled when like-minded people across Europe work together: how to create jobs, particularly for our young people, and bring back prosperity; how to tackle climate change and build the new, green economies we need for our future.

This was followed by a passionate speech by Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the ALDE group in the European Parliament;

The European Union is in essence a liberal project. A full single market, more free trade, a European democratic government, full respect for human rights and civil liberties that is the essence of our view on Europe.

Meanwhile, in elections to the Bureau, and under the gentle guidance of the first ever jobshare Returning Officers, Daniel Obst and Mark Valladares, there were victories for Roman Jakic, re-elected as Treasurer with 347 votes out of the 360 cast, for Dick Roche (Fianna Fail, Ireland) and Ramona Manescu (PNL, Romania) as Vice-Presidents and, for Flo Clucas, the new president of the European Liberal Women’s Network.

And, in a story familiar to those who have been members of the Liberal Democrats for more than twenty years, there was the great name change debate. Despite some unease about the possible rationale, the name of the Party was changed from ELDR to ALDE (the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe) with 266 votes in favour and seven against.

The great tribes of Europe are more inventive together than apart. If people persist in harking back to independent nations, it is partly because we have not engaged them enough in the day to day business of Europe. A Liberal society can only be governed with the comprehension and consent of the citizen.

* Mark Valladares was rather surprised to be re-elected to the ELDR Council Delegation and would like to thank all of you who voted for him.

3 Comments

So:. “A Liberal society can only be governed with the comprehension and consent of the citizen.” That explains why the 19th century saw a great liberal European struggle for national independence and home rule!
I suggest we have a lot of arguing to do if we are to convince people that the imposed pan-European rule over southern Europe represents the better life togetherness brings, rather than the destruction of national life at the hands of politicians who are prepared to wreck their national economies in ideological support for the euro and “the European project”. However excusable or laudable the steps or mistakes, marriage to Ravenna didn’t work out for Tabor either , did it?

The rationale is that ALDE is the name used by the liberal group in the European Parliament, the unease that there were suggestions that the name change was designed to ease the absorption of Green Parties from the European Greens, alleged to be in meltdown. We were reassured that this was not the intention at all.

Michael,

I would suggest that the idea of greater integration of Europe and the resultant loss of national sovereignty needs to be considered in the context of each member state’s view on the importance of that sovereignty. For some, smaller nations, the gains outweigh the losses. And the question of harmonisation appears to be being ducked by both the European Commission and by the British public. Are we in favour of harmonisation, how much are we up for, and why?

The problem is that these are difficult questions with nuanced answers, and our media either aren’t up to the job, or have a positive interest in one answer over the others.

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